Stucco Problems: Leaky Windows

Thursday, March 27, 2014

True or false, if given the option of spending $50 or $500, you will more than likely go with the $50 option, right? Our guess is that you would say yes to this, even when it comes down to repairing stucco problems or other issues that you may be having with your home. The fact of the matter is, most of us, while we are willing to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on the purchase of a home, are not willing to cough up massive amounts of cash to repair the same homes. And logically, it makes a lot of sense. Think about it. What do you actually get out of your home as an immediate, tangible payoff? That new TV you have been eyeing? A designer bag? No, of course you don’t. Spending money on home repairs may seem like pouring money into something that you may or may not see as fit for the cash, but the fact of the matter is that these small issues that you see in and around your home, may actually be caused from something much more serious.

The windows of our homes are a great source of natural light. They help us heat, cool, and light up our homes, making them more comfortable for us to live in, but along with these benefits, windows, especially on stucco homes, often have problems. Windows can have damage, like leaks, and you may not even know it. Scary, right?

Let’s say you know that there is something wrong with your window. You start seeing paint bubble around the actual window or you notice that there are small pools or droplets of water gathering on the sill. Your carpet might even feel damp after a heavy rain. Naturally, you would call in someone to repair the issue. As discussed above, you are probably going to go with the cheapest repair you can find, which is probably a one stop window replacement, right? Well, more often than not, when we come out to homes with stucco problems, we see damage caused by cheaply replaced windows. Contractors who take shortcuts in replacing the windows on stucco homes without removing the stucco first as a cheap fix end up causing A LOT more damage for homeowners.

Often, these replacements lead to full stucco remediation and replacement of all windows, again, which means that the money spent on the replacement the first time was completely wasted.

And stucco problems are not the only trouble that these cheaply replaced windows cause. No matter what the exterior cladding of a home is made out of, quickly replacing the windows of your home without properly removing the cladding can cause serious damage to stone, brick, and siding as well. So you might be asking yourself, if this is true, then why do I see ads or commercials for companies that specialize in window replacement.

Well, these companies exist solely to make a profit off of the windows that they sell. Because their process of taking the old window out, replacing it with a new one, and sealing it with some caulk and moving on is very inexpensive and easy to do, their labor costs are low so they can charge more for the windows and make out with a lot of cash. So the fact that it is lucrative and easy means that these pop-up companies will continue to scam homeowners and create stucco problems as well as other home repair issues. These sales tactics should not be used on homes or home repairs but rather saved for the car lots and used car salesmen.

So how do you correct the window or stucco problems that you may have? Well, you need to call in someone who is going to do the job right. If you see that you are having a window leak and you live in a stucco home, you need to go ahead and call in a stucco contractor. Why? Well, as we have already stated, a stucco contractor can not only tell you what is wrong with the window, but can remove the cladding around the window to make sure that the window is replaced properly. Because of the building paper and other drainage materials that make up the area around a window in a stucco home are so crucial from keeping water out of the interior cavities of the home, it is important to make sure that they are in tact when replacing a window. And the only way to do this is to take down the finish and replace it again. Yes, this is a complicated and time-consuming process, but it is one that is necessary in order to do the job right. And you have probably already guessed that taking off the entire exterior of a home and replacing it is also expensive. You’re right, but wouldn’t you rather have the job done right the first time and make the investment in your shelter so that it will last for many more years to come? We are guessing your answer is probably yes.

So what is the moral of the story? Easy, make sure that if you are going to do any repairs on your home, including ones that deal with stucco problems or windows, call someone who knows the proper way to replace elements such as windows. Selecting a trusted and experienced contractor, though it may cost you a bit more money upfront, will save you a lot of hassle in the long run.

Have you ever had the windows replaced in your home? DId you have to have the job redone because you decided to get them repaired more cheaply the first time around? Tell us your story.